Method of finishing a drywall and a compound therefor

ABSTRACT

The method for sealing a seam between adjacent structural panels significantly reduces the time for finishing a drywall in comparison with conventional methods, which use multiple applications of a joint compound to seal the seam. An all-purpose drywall joint compound is mixed with a synthetic fiber, such as Colombian Fiber, or polypropylene, and sufficient water to facilitate soaking of the synthetic fiber and mixing with the joint compound. An optional liquid adhesive, such as liquid wallpaper adhesive, is added to the mixture. The mixture is then applied as one coat to the seam and allowed to dry. No subsequent coatings of the mixture are necessary.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to drywall finishing, and moreparticularly to a method of reducing the time required to finish drywalljoints and to a compound for sealing drywall joints.

[0002] The building industry widely uses gypsum board in theconstruction of residential homes, commercial buildings, and otherstructures. The gypsum board, also known as sheetrock or drywall isusually pre-cut in flat sheets of 4×8 or 4×12 foot, having a thicknessof ½ or ⅝″. The sheets of the gypsum board are hung on wood or metalstuds to form an interior wall of the building. Typical walls havejoints between the sheetrock segments that must be covered to form asmooth surface for application of the wallpaper or paint.

[0003] A conventional method of finishing the drywall comprises a numberof steps. First, a drywall joint compound is deposited along the jointas a thin bead. The drywall joint compound usually has limestone, water,mica, vinyl acetate polymer and may also have talc. The limestone may besubstituted by dolomite or gypsum. If the compound comes as a drypowder, it is mixed with the necessary amount of water, stirred and thenapplied with a six-inch joint finishing knife to the joint. Immediatelyafter that, a drywall tape is placed over the bead of the drywall jointcompound and the joint finishing knife is run over the tape to press thetape and cause it to adhere to the compound.

[0004] The first coat of the compound with the tape is allowed to dryfor 24 hours. Then a second coat of the joint compound is applied overthe first coat to cover the tape completely and to cover the interfacebetween the tape and the wall. The second coat is allowed to dry for 24hours. Then a third coat is applied with a 10-inch joint finishing knifeto make a wide strip of the joint compound on the wall that wouldentirely cover the tape as well as the first two coats. When the finalcoat dries, again for about 24 hours, it is sanded to removeimperfections and achieve a smooth finish. The dust is wiped off orblown off to make the wall ready for wallpaper or paint application.

[0005] The disadvantage of the conventional method is that it requires3-4 days to finish one wall, with a 24-hour drying period between jointcompound applications. The drywall finisher has to come back to the samejob several times before the walls are finished. The time spent onfinishing the walls directly translates into the cost of the buildingconstruction. It would be therefore a considerable advantage to providea method that would reduce the labor time in finishing the drywall andthereby reduce the overall cost of construction.

[0006] The present invention contemplates provision of such a method anda novel compound for finishing a drywall that would reduce the curingtime and eliminate the need for multiple joint compound applications.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide amethod of finishing a drywall by eliminating the number of coatsnecessary to finish a drywall.

[0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide adrywall joint compound that has reduced curing time and is strong enougheven with one application.

[0009] These and other objects of the present invention are achievedthrough the provision of a method of finishing a drywall, which includesthe steps of mixing an all-purpose drywall joint compound with apredetermined amount of water and a synthetic fiber, such as Colombianfiber. An optional liquid wallpaper adhesive may be added to themixture. The mixed compound is then applied to the joint between thedrywall sheets and allowed to dry for 24 hours. No further applicationsof the compound are necessary. The drywall joint becomes sealed with asmooth, strong seal.

[0010] The composition of the present invention contains between about97.68% to about 98.8% of all-purpose sheetrock compound, between about0.247% to about 0.97% of water, between about 0.494% to about 0.73% ofsynthetic fiber, and between about 0.37% to about 0.61% by weight of thevinyl adhesive. The adhesive is selected from the family of vegetableadhesives.

[0011] The presence of the synthetic fiber reduces the chance of thejoint cracking, making the sealed joint somewhat “flexible.” At the sametime, the joint seal is stable, capable of withstanding settling of thehouse, while preserving the even, smooth surface for the application ofa wallpaper or paint. The same compound may be used for repairing thedrywall and covering holes or punctures in the wall. The compound of thepresent invention eliminates the need for mesh fabric, which isconventionally used when repairing a drywall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Reference will now be made to the drawing illustrating the methodsteps of the present invention, wherein

[0013]FIG. 1 is a flow chart of the preferred embodiment of the methodof finishing a drywall according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] The method of the present invention begins with preparing acompound for seating the drywall joints. The user deposits apredetermined amount of finely chopped synthetic fiber, such asColombian fiber, into a container with an all-purpose joint compound andpours water over the fiber. The synthetic fiber consists ofpolypropylene fiberglass.

[0015] The synthetic fiber is chopped into segments of ½ to 1″ in lengthand diameter equal to the diameter of human hair. The fiber is allowedto soak for 1-3 minutes. The Colombian fiber soaks up the water in thejoint compound while the limestone, gypsum, clay and other ingredientsin the standard joint compound adhere to the fibers. The mixture is thenvigorously agitated for 2-5 minutes and a liquid vinyl wallpaperadhesive is added.

[0016] A thoroughly mixed mixture is then applied to the drywall joints,taking care to fill the entire joints with an even bead. The operatorthen smoothes the deposited coat on both sides of the joints with ajoint finishing knife. The mixture is then allowed to dry for about 24hours, after which time the wall is ready for application of the paintor wallpaper.

[0017] In the preferred embodiments the all-purpose sheetrock compoundis selected from a group of conventional all-purpose joint compounds.Such compounds are manufactured by a number of companies in the UnitedStates, such as Gypsum Company of Chicago, Ill., National Gypsum Companyof Shamrock, N.C., and others. The manufacturer may use limestones,dolomite or gypsum as the main ingredient. Additional ingredients mayinclude plaster of Paris, perlite, vinyl acetate polymer, mica(silicates of chemical compositions), hydrated aluminum silicates(attapulgite clay), starch, crystallized silicone dioxide (quartz),water and latex.

[0018] The synthetic fiber used in the preferred embodiment of thepresent application is the so-called Colombian Fiber. This ingredient isreadily available on the market; it is white and has a specific gravityof 0.91. The synthetic fiber is polypropylene fiber, which is choppedinto to ½ inch to 1 inch in length pieces and broken up into fibershaving a diameter equal to approximately the diameter of the human hair.The liquid vinyl wallpaper adhesive used in the composition of thepresent invention is readily available on the market from, for instance,Roman Adhesive, Inc. of Illinois. The adhesive has a vegetable base. Itis translucent and has a specific gravity of 1.1. It is miscible inwater in all proportions.

[0019] The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for acomposition comprising from about 97.68% to about 98.8% of all-purposesheetrock compound, from about 0.247% to about 0.97% of water, fromabout 0.494% to about 0.73% of synthetic fiber, and from about 0.37% toabout 0.61% by weight of the vinyl adhesive. The adhesive is selectedfrom the family of vegetable adhesives.

[0020] The method of the present invention using the novel compoundallows to significantly reduce the finishing time for drywalls. Usually,one coat of the compound is sufficient to cover the joint in a smoothbead of coating along the joint line and on both sides thereof. Thesecond and third coat is not necessary. If desired, a finishing coatingmay be applied to the dried compound of the present invention to coverany possible imperfections created when applying the coat with the jointknife.

[0021] The present invention provides a method of reducing the labortime when finishing a drywall, eliminates multiple coatings of the jointwith a joint compound, as well as dry-sanding of the final coat of thejoint compound. The present invention thus allows to significantlyreduce the time for finishing the drywall and avoid any possible hazardsfrom the dust created when the walls are sanded. The Colombian fibersoaks up the water in the joint compound while the limestone, gypsum,clay and other ingredients in the standard joint compound adhere to thefibers.

[0022] The joint compound of the present invention may be successfullyused for repairing cracks or holes in the sheetrock wall without theneed for mechanical devices that are conventionally used for coveringthe cracks or holes before the joint compound can be applied. It isenvisioned that the compound of the present invention may be also usedfor repairing seams and other areas of a building where a smooth,crack-free surface is desired.

[0023] Due to the presence of synthetic fiber in the compound, thefinished wall will not crack along the interface of the gypsum boardsheets. The synthetic fiber allows for relative “flexibility” of theseam created with the novel joint compound, which avoids the need fortouching up the walls due to the settling of a building.

[0024] Many changes and modifications may be made in the method andcompound of the present invention without departing from the spiritthereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention belimited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A method of finishing a drywall, comprising the steps of:mixing a predetermined amount of a drywall joint compound with asynthetic fiber and water and applying said mixture as a coat to a jointbetween adjacent sheets of sheetrock.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising a step of adding a predetermined amount of a liquid adhesiveto said mixture before applying said mixture to the joint.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein the synthetic fiber comprises polypropylene.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the synthetic fiber comprises segments havinga length of about 0.5 to 1.0 inches.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid mixing step further comprises a step of soaking the synthetic fiberin water and then vigorously agitating the drywall joint compound withwater and the synthetic fiber to form a homogenous mixture.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein said step of soaking is performed for about1-3 minutes.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein said step of agitating isperformed for about 2-5 minutes.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of mixing comprises mixing about 50 pounds of drywall jointcompound with between about 2 ounces to about 8 ounces of water and withbetween about 4 ounces to about 6 ounces of the synthetic fiber.
 9. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the step of mixing comprises mixing about 50pounds of drywall joint compound with between about 2 ounces to about 8ounces of water, with between about 4 ounces to about 6 ounces of thesynthetic fiber, and with between about 3 ounces to about 5 ounces of aliquid vinyl wallpaper adhesive.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising a step of allowing said coat to dry for a period of between20 hours and about 24 hours.
 11. The method of claim 2, wherein saidmixture comprises between about 97.68 percent by weight to about 98.8percent by weight of drywall joint compound, between about 0.247 percentby weight to about 0.97 percent by weight of water, and between about0.37 percent by weight to about 0.61 percent by weight of the liquidadhesive.
 12. A method of filling a seam of a drywall comprised ofabutting panels, the method comprising the steps of: mixing apredetermined amount of a drywall joint compound with a synthetic fiber,liquid adhesive and water and applying said mixture as a coat to theseam between the abutting panels.
 13. The method of claim 12, whereinsaid step of mixing comprises mixing about 50 pounds of drywall jointcompound with between about 2 ounces to about 8 ounces of water, withbetween about 4 ounces to about 6 ounces of the synthetic fiber, andwith between about 3 ounces to about 5 ounces of a liquid vinylwallpaper adhesive.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the syntheticfiber comprises segments having a length of about 0.5 to 1.0 inches. 15.The method of claim 12, wherein said mixing step further comprises astep of soaking the synthetic fiber in water and then vigorouslyagitating the drywall joint compound with water and the synthetic fiberto form a homogenous mixture.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein saidmixture comprises between about 97.68 percent by weight to about 98.8percent by weight of drywall joint compound, between about 0.247 percentby weight to about 0.97 percent by weight of water, and between about0.37 percent by weight to about 0.61 percent by weight of the liquidadhesive.
 17. A composition, which forms a setting type homogenousdrywall joint compound, comprising from about 97.68 to about 98.8percent by weight of all-purpose joint compound, a synthetic fibercomprising polypropylene soaked in water and mixed with the all-purposedrywall joint compound to form a homogenous drywall joint compound. 18.The composition of claim 17, in which the synthetic fiber is present inamounts ranging from about 0.484 to about 0.73% by weight of thecomposition.
 19. The composition of claim 17, in which soaking water ispresent in a sufficient amount to facilitate mixing.
 20. The compositionof claim 19, in which water is present in amounts ranging from about0.247 to about 0.97% by weight of the composition.
 21. The compositionof claim 17, further comprising a liquid adhesive.
 22. The compositionof claim 21, in which the liquid adhesive is a liquid wallpaper adhesivepresent in amounts ranging from about 0.37 to about 0.61% by weight ofthe composition.
 23. The composition of claim 17, wherein said syntheticfiber comprises polypropylene in segments having length from about 0.5to 1 inches.